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Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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How To Make DIY Christmas Ornaments

As I mentioned earlier this week, we got a real mini tree! And I finally got some twinkle lights up and some ornaments on that guy. I say this with much enthusiasm and hardly any hyperbole: it’s a life changer. I’m in love.

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And Clara and Burger love it too (play Where’s Waldo in the dark and find them):

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It’s so charming and warm and it looks so sweet with all of the handmade Pinterest challenge ornaments that I made here.

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These are the only breakable ornaments that we’ll be putting out this year (since the tree is up on a table, so Clara can’t get to it). And it glitters like the dickens. So yes, it’s my new favorite thing ever. Oh and it was $19 at a local grocery store here in Richmond called Martin’s (outside near the curb) for anyone wondering. And it came with a stand, which is nice.

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We even have some King Kong action going on thanks to this gorilla ornament at the top:

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As for the tree skirt, that’s actually just a gray pashmina that I had already (I just swirled it around the base a few times to create a little skirt), so other than shelling out the money for the tree, we got to use all of the ornaments that I had already made (which factored out to around 71 cents a pop – more on those here) and even tossed together a free tree skirt.

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We actually would have loved to find a potted evergreen that we could have planted in the backyard after the season, but after a few weeks of looking for an un-cut one that was small enough to sit on the table, we had no luck (most of them were 5+ feet tall). So we caved and got a cut one since it was already well into December and we didn’t want to miss the real-tree boat entirely. But if anyone knows of a local source for uncut table-sized evergreens we’d love to hear about it (we tried Lowe’s Home Depot, a few tree lots around town, and a few nurseries/plant stores – but all of the uncut ones were too tall/large to be tabletop ones).

You know me + shiny things = a match made in heaven. And Clara might just be having the most fun with the tree out of all of us. At least five times a day she runs over to it and points to various animals and gleefully shouts out things like “Rhino!!!” and “Hippo!!!” and “Aggigator!” like it’s the most exciting thing she’s seen all day. Never gets old. Man I love the holidays.

Believe it or not, John and I have never had a real tree in our house as a family (although both of us enjoyed them growing up). We went faux five-ish years ago (thanks to an after-Christmas sale at Target) and appreciated that we only had to haul it home once (having a small car, the notion of dragging home a big real tree each year was a little daunting). And with a pooch we appreciated the no-dropped-needles thing. It can’t be argued that a faux tree looks better than a real one, but somehow when we loaded it with lights and ornaments we still loved our faker year after year.

Here she is back in 2007 (when we had a terrible camera and our blog photos were smaller):

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And in 2008 (with the same white and silver scheme):

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And in 2009 (when we went crazy for citrus, and even dried fruit to make ornaments):

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And in 2010 (with green, pink, and silver shimma goin’ on):

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Tree Color Pink Scheme

And since experts continue to debate whether a faux tree or a real tree is more eco-friendly (apparently it’s a really close call when it comes to hauling emissions and cutting them down every year vs. reusing a faux one for a while) we knew the most eco thing that we could do after purchasing a faux tree was to use it as long as possible. So we’ll still be setting up our full sized faker in the dining room to enjoy with some Clara-safe ornaments (bonus: everyone driving by will see it glowing in the window). Better get on that though. Eeks, is it really the eighth already? Better get crackin’.

Have you guys been decorating? Any other tabletop tree folks out there? I can’t believe it has taken us this long to give one a try.

Update: You can check out all of our favorite holiday decor finds here – many of which are under $15! 

Comments

  1. Ann L says

    Do you guys have Wegmans down there? If so, they always have potted mini-shrubs (and even potted small Christmas trees) out this time of year, and the ones I’ve seen are super duper affordable.

    Reply

  3. Jenny B says

    I had actually heard the same thing, that the faux vs real debate was close. However, just the other day I heard on NPR that real trees are the way to go. Some reasons: real tree farms actually help take carbon out of the atmosphere, they are usually locally grown (relatively) as opposed to manufactured in China and shipped overseas, and you are supporting farmers in the US. Fake trees are usually used on average for 5 years and then tossed, where they stay in a landfill and don’t decompose, so the longer you use it the better!

    Reply

  4. Linda says

    Oh, that little baby tree is so cute! I may have to run over to Dominicks (our Safeway here) and see what they have! I’m in a condo with two cats, so only have an ornament tree now, which is nice, but not quite the warm homey feeling your little tree has. But does it count that I have two stockings for my cats on the mantle, with cute little fish and kitty hangers I got at Target four years ago?

    And your counters are absolutely beautiful. I’m still enjoying looking at those photos. You’d think it was my kitchen!

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  5. tracy says

    You can get a Norfolk Pine, which is an indoor pine tree. We got one our first year dating and have had it for 20 years. It is a perfect, Charlie Brown tree (the branches are kind of week so you can only hang light ornaments).

    Reply

  8. Diana @ Boy + Girl says

    Love the table top tree. It’s so pretty! I did a table top last year and I did a small potted one decorated on my front porch. There is something so charming about a mini tree. And yes it really is the 8th already! Time flies!
    -Diana

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  9. erin says

    i love your tree!! it is so cute! we still have not gotten our christmas tree. i wanted to do it the weekend after thanksgiving, but a slip down the stairs while pregnant, made me feel like i was hit by a truck so i just laid on the couch all weekend. plus, hubby thought it was too early. then i worked all the next weekend, and i have to work saturday, so this sunday it is!! we go tree hunting every year! we get a $5 permit from the local blm office and go out in the woods to find the perfect tree. they’re never quite as full as the ones in the lot, but it makes for a great adventure and family memory time! we did it our daughter’s first christmas and were able to see the most amazing sunset that i have ever seen in my life! it’s definitely about the experience for us!

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  12. Laura says

    Love the mini tree! They are so great for small spaces.

    Our tradition so far is the non-traditional tree. Last year it was a couple cylinder cones of festive wrapping paper, this year we opted for a super cute (if I do say so myself) cut out of sweet little tree.

    It’s fun, festive, totally recyclable, but what I love the most is not having to store anything the other 11 months out of the year! Hooray!

    Reply

  15. Ashley @ sunnysideshlee.com says

    OMG i love it! love the colors, love the lights, love the ornaments! great job! i got my little tree up too! i dont have a toddler but i have a rambunctious 14 lb dog and a clumsy 70 lb Labrador! we have all shatter proof plastic ornaments! went with the traditional red and green this year!

    Reply

  16. Bboss says

    I set up a little tree on the hearth of our family/tv room with a little Swedish straw (translate: Ikea impulse buy) ornaments. Unfortunately, our Airedale is picking them off one by one and eating them. So I need to rethink the location.

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  17. bhh says

    Love the tabletop tree! When our kids were little we decorated the tabletop tree (which we had in our kitchen) with cookies the boys would bake. Have to admit it didn’t stay “decorated” for long :)

    Question: do you have two sets of curtains in your living room? Is one set sheers for closing, or did you add the plain white ones to create more fullness? Curious, since I am still pondering new master bedroom drapes. Thanks

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  18. Ariane says

    Why don’t you grow your own trees in your backyard … each year, you take one for Xmas and you seed/plant a baby one. Maybe if you start now, you’ll have a table-tree-size tree for 2014 or 2015 ? That would be a nice tradition too ?
    I have a fake Xmas tree myself (my cat is a good needle-eater-then-puker !! — yuck) and I was actually thinking about giving my family an ornament as a “party favor” for Xmas eve.
    Probably all DIYed, ah ah !!
    Take care !

    Reply

  20. Pamela Heller says

    Looks great! I have no idea if you have Whole Foods near you, or if they carry the same stuff they do here (in CT), but our Whole Foods has live mini trees – a few varieties, I think.

    Reply

  22. Kelsey Noble says

    I tried a white tabletop tree this year after years of despising white trees (it’s a fake one). But after seeing one on pinterest, I knew I had to replicate it. http://pinterest.com/pin/234628867/
    I was able to buy mini colored ornaments from JoAnn’s during Black Friday weekend! I bought and decorated my four foot tree for less than $35!

    Reply

  23. Tabitha@aintlifesweet says

    I love your mini tree! Wanna know what I love more??? Your adorable Hi-5’s from the fruit tree video. Could you guys seriously get any cutier???

    Yay for lefties! I’m a lefty, and was hoping & praying one of my kids would be too – but no dice. :(

    Reply

  24. Diana says

    When our oldest was young, he had a lot of allergies and asthma. So after a few years of real Christmas trees, we got a nice faux tree. It was expensive even at half off…but after all these years it still looks beautiful…and I like to joke that the cost of the tree goes down every year. Our son is now married, and I believe the tree, divided by all the years we’ve owned it, is averaging four dollars a year!

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  25. Heidi says

    We’re a 2 tree family too! Big family tree & tabletop for the hubs. He has all of his UNC memorabilia, ornaments, UNC snowman topper, UNC tree skirt etc. on the tabletopper. It’s a good compromise for me… :) Merry Christmas!

    Reply

  27. Diana says

    By the way, I love how Clara delights in the tree. A child’s wonder and joy is one of the best part of the holidays!

    Reply

  29. Lynn Van Slyke says

    That might be the cutest tree I have ever seen =) Can’t wait to see the big tree. Next year I am doing that in my office since that is the window that faces the street! Thanks for the inspiration =)

    Our tradition was always to put the tree up Thanksgiving weekend, but the past few years we’ve been traveling up north to see family for the holiday weekend, so its been hard to decorate the tree. This years we stayed home and my daughter and I put the tree up to Christmas Carols and hot cocoa on Thanksgiving day. It was probably one of the best Thanksgiving ever!!! Simple and quiet with my husband and kids. =)

    Reply

  30. Dianne says

    Love how your living room is looking these days! This year we got our normal cut tree from Home Depot-we seem to have strange traditions and this is one of them. Since we live in the NW, cedar and douglas fir trees pop up in our garden all the time. This year I cut a doug fir tree growing too close to our fence and it became a perfect sized table top tree. I also sacrificed a baby cedar tree growing in a bad spot and it’s branches became a swag for the front door. I think I’ll be doing this every year.

    Reply

  31. candace says

    I adore your tabletop tree – sooooo cute! It was fun to look back on your trees of yore too, I was always so inspired by your holiday decorating posts! We have a faux tree at our house and one day I’d like to update the color scheme but it’s making due for now and is oooh so sparkly. I can’t wait to plug it in each night!

    Reply

  32. Kim says

    We have a table top tree that my mother made for me out of grapevine. We have it decorated with paper mache animals from pier one several years back. I like them because they are a natural material like the grapevine. It has white lights as well. It’s my favorite tree, even more so than our big (real) tree. I would post a picture, but I don’t know how that works!

    I think you should just do the tabletop tree this year; Clara seems happy with it, and it will be easier since she’s mobile. BTW, do you have any nutcrackers at all? Since her name is Clara? I loved that story as a child, and our daughter does, too.

    Reply

  34. Ashley says

    We picked our potted lil’ guy at Home Depot – It wasn’t with the big trees, but rather back in the greenhouse section where you would normally go to buy flowers in the spring. They also had potted rosemary bushed shaped into tree form which looked and smelled ahhh-mazing. Next year.

    Reply

  37. Angie says

    We have a mini silver tinsel tree that we got for $5 at Walgreens. We load it with some crazy spangly blue garland and all of the colorful glass ornaments that we got from our grandmothers. Everything on that tree is so sparkly and colorful that is goes past tacky and back into good taste! :)

    Reply

  38. Janette@The2Seasons says

    Right before I sat down to read your blog, I finished decorating your tree’s twin. It was so easy, and it is so cute. Why have I been torturing myself all of these years????? I put it in my little two-seater sports car, carried it in myself, and decorated it. My husband is happy with it, too. He didn’t have to set it up and get it straight.

    Reply

  40. Katie V. says

    Love your little tree! It’s my favorite kind – short, soft needles. This year I got the kids (ages 8 and 5) small faux trees ($5 each from Hobby Lobby!) that fit on their bedroom windowsills. Growing up I always had a small tree in my bedroom so I thought I would start that tradition for them. They’re so cute and festive and can be seen from the street, as well. I love live trees and we had one last year but it is such a mess! This year we’re back to the artificial but it looks great; we’re just missing the smell.

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  43. Kristan says

    I see Whole Foods was mentioned for the rosemary trees, but some stores also carried potted Dwarf Alberta Spruce. Each region is different, but the Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan stores had them this year and last.

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  44. Katy Campbell says

    Do you have a Whole Foods? They had some potted evergreens that were a bit smaller than what you have – but were very pretty none the less. Hope you can find a potted one next year – how cool would it be to say, “Clara, that was our Christmas tree when you were ___ years old.”

    Reply

  45. Whitney Dupuis says

    I LOVE this idea! I am not sure why, but I have never thought of having a tiny real tree. (I love real trees but can’t justify the clean up/safety hazard/insert other excuse here.) I just might have to do this next year when we hopefully have more room!

    Reply

  46. Tanya says

    That is really pretty and shiny!

    Another argument for the faux: Apparently, if kept for more than about week, a cut tree can bring mold in your home… urgh!

    We have 3 2- and 4-foot tall trees in the house, and 1 7-foot cut tree on the balcony, right in front of the patio doors. It’s as if it was in the living room, without it taking up all the play space for the kiddos…

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  47. amanda says

    So you’re not putting up a full-sized tree this year even with your bigger house? I have to have a big tree, even in a small apartment. My family has almost always had a fake tree and I have no problem with them. Actually, the real ones are kind of a pain imo. The pink & green was my favorite of your big tree themes, but I love the colorful one this year. I’m not big on themed trees personally. I loved getting to go pick an ornament each year with my sisters as kids and now we put can put them up with our mom after Thanksgiving and reminisce over those memories and how old different ornaments are and how we got them and so on. I just like having a multi-colored tree with tons of lights (my sister does barely any lights!) and full of family memories. I’m excited for next year when my nephew will be old enough, hopefully, to start enjoying Christmas; he’s only a month old now and I keep wanting to buy him all this stuff he’s way too young to enjoy :/

    Reply

  49. Ashley @ DesignBuildLove says

    totally LOVE the baby tree! We’ve actually been in quite a tree debate this year. Being tied up for all but the two days before Christmas… we are thinking we’ll skip a tree this year, but we’ll do all the other decorations so we don’t feel like we scrooged ourselves! LOVE your tabletop idea! And it’s so fun that you were got to use your Pinterest ornaments! :)

    Reply

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